(foto: Getty Images)
Football is alive and well in Greenland, but it doesn't stop there. The island has ambitions, though UEFA and FIFA remain unresponsive to its requests.
Greenland is the world's largest island, with about 81% of its surface covered in ice. Politically, Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, similar to the Faroe Islands. Despite covering over two million square kilometers, it is home to only 56,000 people, most of whom live in the southwestern part of the island, where the capital Nuuk is located. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 10°C, while winter averages -18°C, with a record low of -69.6°C recorded in 1991.
Conditions for playing football are far from ideal, but that hasn't stopped the resilient Greenlanders from engaging in the world's most popular sport. The first league season was played in 1954, and since the late 1960s, the Greenland football championship has been held annually.
Given the vast distances between towns, lack of roads, and high travel costs by air or sea, the championship is organized with regional qualifiers, followed by the top teams gathering in Nuuk or another city for a week-long final tournament. The club with the most titles is B67 from the capital, boasting 14 championships, followed closely by Nagdlunguaq-48 from Ilulissat with 12 titles.
This year's championship, taking place from August 3 to 10, 2024, in the settlement of Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island, will be unique. Unlike previous years, which featured regional qualifiers leading up to a final tournament, this year will see all ten clubs compete in a single-week competition for the title of Greenland champion. Traditionally dubbed "the shortest league in the world," this moniker will hold true as no qualifiers will precede the final stage.
The host, Godhavn-44, has won the championship twice (2009, 2011). Their picturesque field, accommodating around 1,000 spectators, lies by the coast with floating icebergs on one side and the mountainous Arctic landscape of Disko Island on the other.
With approximately 5,500 active footballers, about 10% of the population, football is Greenland's national sport. However, FIFA and UEFA have not acknowledged Greenland's desires to join international football organizations.
Since UEFA changed its statutes to admit only independent states, Greenland's hopes of joining European football, despite being part of the European Union as a Danish territory, have diminished. Consequently, in 2022, Greenland applied for membership in the North and Central American federation, CONCACAF. Although the process is long and complex, Greenlanders hope to be accepted between 2025-2027, allowing them to participate in the Gold Cup qualifiers and club competitions.
Despite not being a member of any federation, Greenland's national team occasionally plays international friendlies. This year, they played Turkmenistan in Antalya, Turkey, losing 7-1. Last year, they participated in the 2023 Island Games on Guernsey, where they competed against other unrecognized island teams.
If they succeed in joining CONCACAF, Greenland football could see brighter days ahead.